Mercury Music Prize 2009

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Albums? What a ridiculous concept...

(format nicked wholesale from last year's poll)

[Poll #1433368]

Comments box questions:

Do you feel compelled to check out any of the above?
Do you think this is a fair representation of British Music in 2009?
How do this lot shape up against last year's nominees?

(Stay tuned for news of this year's Lex 20p Indie prize!)

Comments

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

Do you feel compelled to check out any of the above?
- Yes, if only just because there are a couple more than usual I've never heard of. I don't expect them to be particularly good tho.

Do you think this is a fair representation of British Music in 2009?
- Not really. If they're going to be tokenist then it should be one album from 12 different genres. And obviously there have been better British albums in the last year not included but that's a slightly different question.

How do this lot shape up against last year's nominees?
- Roughly the same quality but as I said there's a few more I don't know which at best suggests they've made some sort of effort to help obscurer artists more (regardless of whether they picked the right ones). I refuse to accept it is because I am losing touch more!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I have heard "selected cuts" from the Bat For Lashes, Florence, Horrors, Friendly Fires and L* R**x albums, all of which make me want to actively avoid the whole albums. Kasabian and Glasvegas don't deserve the honour of their existence being acknowledged. The best track affiliated with any of these acts is the Aeroplane remix of Friendly Fires' 'Paris' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYNTkAjybQg).

The shortlist is even worse than last year tbh. At first I thought I didn't really care enough to be outraged, and indeed wondered why I ever cared. But over the course of yesterday I saw a TON of people showing interest in and checking out those albums just b/c they'd made the shortlist, and that was depressing: as much as people bitch about it, it does buy those acts a ton of publicity, and...artists like Geeneus, Toddla T, Crazy Cousinz, Donae'o, even the John Parish & PJ Harvey curio are all so much more deserving.

I mean, so many people - probably a lot of poptimists! - will probably go and check out the Speech Debelle token urban nomination. But the album REALLY ISN'T VERY GOOD. The kindest thing I can say is that it sounds like the work of a promising, very raw talent...the first time she'd ever stepped into a studio, ever. And before she'd made any edits. I'm baffled by the critical plaudits that her rambling, unmemorable album has received - I guess cuz it's slightly "worthy"? And I don't want to hate, as I said she's not untalented and has the potential to make a good album one day, but this is not it, and it's frustrating that she'll get so much attention for it.

On the plus side, that irritating little brat Patrick Wolf threw a Twitter tantrum b/c he was missed out, which was entertaining, so slight redemption for the Mercury there.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Good god that makes the PJ 20p music prize look AMAZING. Bring on the Lex 20p. If I started listing all the missing things I would quite literally be here ALL NIGHT.

I really like the new Kasabian single and have now nearly bought the album twice. That doesn't mean it deserves a Mercury tho.

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

1. Not really. Mildly curious about Led Bib, as I've never heard of them.

2. Not really, but what is? I suppose it's no worse than the next thing - I don't ever think this sort of thing can really be "representative", whatever that means.

3. I personally slightly prefer it, although there are plenty of artists I don't like on there. I should probably listen properly to *all* of BFL and FF, though, despite their not entirely grabbing me.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

i know people who know people who are the proud mum of (one of) the horrors, and have recently met one of them: he was very sweet and pretty (and omg young)

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Two token jazz nominees? Blimey, the Mercs are getting edgy in their dotage.

I'll probably check out F+TM, but not with any great enthusiasm. I was curious about Speech Wotsit but The Lex upthread has now put me off.

Agree with others that PJH & JP is a surprising absentee.

I was just thinking last night that it would have been great if that Crazy Cousinz cash-in double mix CD had been nominated. But Donae'o would have been the more obvious choice, I suppose. I may go out tonight and buy his record unheard as a gesture of protest against this list. ;)

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

I've not listened to any of them extensively except Friendly Fires. Nevertheless

FRIENDLY FIRES FTW

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Kasabian - I don't think I have ever knowingly heard a Kasabian record and yet I know exactly what they sound like.

Florence & The Machine - this is better than I expected, the big euphoric build ones anyway. Still can't quite get with her baying voice in full on belter mode though.

Bat For Lashes - reposted from ILM: "I really don't like this - her aesthetic is terrible and the production is so shiny and polished it kind of kills any feeling of intimacy. I want records like this to be creaky and dusty with the sound of instruments creaking in the background, like White Chalk or that Grouper album from last year. This just sounds a bit hollow and empty."

Glasvegas - I keep forgetting they exist. God no.

La Roux - I'm actively avoiding listening to this.

Lisa Hannigan - absolutely no idea. I suspect this is quite pleasant in an inoffensive and folky way, right?

Speech Debelle - enough people I trust about things like this have said she is a bit meh, so no real interest.

The Horrors - not terrible and certainly a pleasant surprise, but the aesthetic is kind of played out and the vocals are just flat-out goth. Best bits are the parts that Geoff Barrow has lifted wholesale from the last Portishead album. Still, I kind of want to give it another chance, which puts it ahead of most of the list.

Friendly Fires - terrific. Stevem described them as what Jacques Lu Cont producing the Killers should have sounded like and I'd agree with that. Sounds is huge and they actually know what to do with a rhythm section, and their dance influences are more than just window dressing.

The Invisible - liked the idea of it, the reality is very Observer Arts Supplement and zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Sweet Billy Pilgrim - actually intrigued by this

Led Bib - I don't even know what this is

In-jokes are strange and confusing

[meserach.livejournal.com]

As a new member of the community, what's the gag with the Lex 20p indie prize? Explain.

[vumgarda.livejournal.com]

Have heard six, two of which I really disliked (Glasvegas, Florence Against the Machine). Bat for Lashes is my favourite of them. The people saying they'd like less shiny and polished might have more luck with her first album although not by much.

It reminds me that I should check out Friendly Fires' album but that's more motivated by really liking Jump in the Pool when I've heard it on the radio.

I preferred last year's nominations mostly on the basis that there's no one this year I'd be as happy for as Elbow. 2007 remains worst list ever by inclusion of The View. That makes Kasabian look like an insipred choice.

[petronia.livejournal.com]

The Horrors album does nothing for me, but I'm not in the mindscape to allow for it, so to speak. Don't get Friendly Fires either.

I made fun of the Glasvegas album all the way up until I realized their ridiculousness was a point in their favour - art naïf, basically. Also I have drunk their beer and they're really nice people.

I expect to like the Florence, Bat for Lashes, and La Roux albums about equally, i.e. some songs but not others. Haven't gotten around to the legwork. Have heard all of the Kasabian and like it about as much as their first one, which I listened to a lot at the time and assumed was a weird taste fluke/lapse, but... apparently not? XD

Most interesting to me at the moment: the Lisa Hannigan

[meserach.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure Florence + the Machine will win this by a mile for me, but I haven't actually heard the album yet. Judging from the singles alone it's a clear winner tho.